Nuclear Fusion

[Winnipeger]

This is an evolutionary step more akin to the first harnessing fire or first utterance or first purpose made tools than say a steam engine or the printing press. Fire is to nuclear fusion what a crude scrawling of a line or circle in the dirt is to the Principia Mathematica.

And, I suspect this is not the complete news. Some months ago, I heard from a trustworthy little bird who has a lobbyist for their textile business in the Carolinas that just so happens to also lobby Washington for these folks out of California: they don't dare divulge the truth of their ability to generate Kwhs of electricity because it would upend global markets in a dramatic way and cause inestimable economic chaos. That being said, the little tidbit I was dropped some six or eight months ago was as follows:

A small nuclear fusion reactor went online in a test run in spring of 2022 in NC and powered 20,000 homes for some hours before being shut down. The Pentagon and major energy corporations are aware of the technology, and are trying to figure out how to integrate it without excess disruption or starting some sort of conflict.

This the gist paraphrased from that little bird's chirp I was privy to. All of this, I realize, should be taken with a grain of salt, as no one here knows me from Joseph. I too remain a skeptic, but am not at all surprised and look forward to speaking to that little bird again to confirm it to be the very same Cal. Laboratories that we discussed this past spring. I suppose I share it for novelty sake. If true, it surely is an exciting time to be alive.

So there's a secret functioning fusion reactor somewhere in North Carolina coupled to a power generation plant that's tied into the grid, and only a little bird knows about it? Makes sense. Is there any chance this little bird is conflating the 928 MW fission reactor of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant in New Hill, NC, with a non-existent fusion reactor?

 

[georged]

Is there any chance this little bird is conflating the 928 MW fission reactor of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant in New Hill, NC, with a non-existent fusion reactor?

There's only a teeny tiny difference. Atoms are super small, you know.

And a couple letters can't be that big a deal.

 

[Yadkin1765]

So there's a secret functioning fusion reactor somewhere in North Carolina coupled to a power generation plant that's tied into the grid, and only a little bird knows about it? Makes sense. Is there any chance this little bird is conflating the 928 MW fission reactor of the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant in New Hill, NC, with a non-existent fusion reactor?

Total burn.

Nah, Shearon Harris is an old boy. I well understand the difference between and an is and a u, wise guy. Used to visit the Duke power plants, dams, etc. with my g-parents when I was a kid.

Interesting how this turned into an extant functioning plant, when that was nowhere in my anecdote. I DID mention that it was second hand from a well trusted source and despite that I remained skeptical, as did the little bird to me, but sarcasm drives home the point well, if only to echo an already purveyed skepticism taken entirely out of context.

And this little bird (a relative and a NASA and Harvard scientist) wasn't the only one that knows about it, I just so happened to have his ear. Word came from the lobbyist (I was told day of). And, no, it was apparently a short term, small scale test as proof of application, not full scale (sound familiar?) I recall him saying something like ~ school bus size.

I suppose if some one didn't want people to know, no one would know, huh? Strange how that might work? The NC Triangle is as technologically advanced a place as any on earth to do such a test, (at one time) areas communities with more PhDs per capital than anywhere else in the US. So... not much to split atomic hairs about here, no matter how hard one tries.

Anyways, in all honesty, I was more or less just sharing an incidental anecdote which shared some intriguing points with the present news story: Cali lab succeeded in net gain fusion reaction at small scale. I usually only share when I have something to say. Next time I'll just keep my trap shut, rather than share with the circle, esp. if the general game is just to take a dump on it. I always thought general wisdom was to probe (as a skeptic) rather than to troll was the preferred form of public discourse. IDK.

 

[jpberg]

How’s the supercolliders coming?

 

[georged]

Well, since there is already a fusion reactor on the Moon, having a secret (except-to-little-birdies) one in North Carolina doesn't seem much of a stretch, I suppose.

I hereby withdraw my objection.

Is There An Alien Fusion Reactor On The Moon? Watch Bizarre Footage Showing Mysterious Glow In Moon’s Aristarchus Crater

Online UFO bloggers are baffled by bizarre footage showing a mysterious green light glowing on the lunar surface. The bizarre footage, uploaded to YouTube on November 27, 2015, by prolific YouTube UFO hunter UFOvni2012, has been viewed thousands of times by space anomaly enthusiasts and has...

www.inquisitr.com

 

[renfield]

Exceeding parity is just the next step on a long road to fusion power plants.

It’ll be decades before the yield is sufficiently great that a full engineering plant will be practical. Hard to do things take time.

Meanwhile we’re finally inching closer to get to build a test version of a 4th gen fission plant design next year. We’re long overdue to evolve from pressurized boiling water designs.

 

[Winnipeger]

Total burn.

Nah, Shearon Harris is an old boy. I well understand the difference between and an is and a u, wise guy. Used to visit the Duke power plants, dams, etc. with my g-parents when I was a kid.

Interesting how this turned into an extant functioning plant, when that was nowhere in my anecdote. I DID mention that it was second hand from a well trusted source and despite that I remained skeptical, as did the little bird to me, but sarcasm drives home the point well, if only to echo an already purveyed skepticism taken entirely out of context.

And this little bird (a relative and a NASA and Harvard scientist) wasn't the only one that knows about it, I just so happened to have his ear. Word came from the lobbyist (I was told day of). And, no, it was apparently a short term, small scale test as proof of application, not full scale (sound familiar?) I recall him saying something like ~ school bus size.

I suppose if some one didn't want people to know, no one would know, huh? Strange how that might work? The NC Triangle is as technologically advanced a place as any on earth to do such a test, (at one time) areas communities with more PhDs per capital than anywhere else in the US. So... not much to split atomic hairs about here, no matter how hard one tries.

Anyways, in all honesty, I was more or less just sharing an incidental anecdote which shared some intriguing points with the present news story: Cali lab succeeded in net gain fusion reaction at small scale. I usually only share when I have something to say. Next time I'll just keep my trap shut, rather than share with the circle, esp. if the general game is just to take a dump on it. I always thought general wisdom was to probe (as a skeptic) rather than to troll was the preferred form of public discourse. IDK.

Just a little friendly jostling. Sorry, I didn't know what you were talking about because this thread is about breakeven fusion reactors (or anyway, one breakeven reactor). I now realize I misread your post. You did say fission. That topic is a little left-of-field to this thread, to my mind. The next generation fission reactors are no secret. You're talking about something like this I think:

Small modular reactor - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Small_modular_reactor

We should have these on every few city blocks, but people are really afraid of nuclear power because of Fukushima, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, etc. If they do gain widespread use, they'll solve a lot of problems and disrupt the economy, while presenting new problems. The main problem in the U.S., as I understand it — apart from public opinion — is the inability to move spent Uranium across state lines.

Anyway, please continue to share with the circle, and accept my apology for being a sarcastic troll.

 

[Chasing Embers]

the inability to move spent Uranium across state lines

Tell that to those that illegally dumped radioactive waste in a few sites in Kentucky.

 

[brian64]

Tell that to those that illegally dumped radioactive waste in a few sites in Kentucky.

You must be concerned that the current "nuclear waste chief" was just fired after being arrested for stealing luggage at airports.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fj0tC1pVIAEm2dZ?format=jpg&name=small

 

[Chasing Embers]

You must be concerned that the current "nuclear waste chief" was just fired after being arrested for stealing luggage at airports.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fj0tC1pVIAEm2dZ?format=jpg&name=small

No idea who or what that is, just mentioning events of illegal dumping over the past 40 or 50 years.

 

[brian64]

No idea who or what that is, just mentioning events of illegal dumping over the past 40 or 50 years.

Oh, I wasn't joking...just assumed you were probably aware of the story (and I agree with you completely about the history of illegal dumping...can you imagine entrusting such oversight to this dude?).

Las Vegas Police Release Booking Photo of Joe Biden's Nonbinary Former Nuclear Waste Official Sam Brinton | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft

Sam Brinton Las Vegas Police released the booking photo of Joe Biden’s former nuclear waste chief Sam Brinton.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

 

[Chasing Embers]

Oh, I wasn't joking...just assumed you were probably aware of the story (and I agree with you completely about the history of illegal dumping...can you imagine entrusting such oversight to this dude?).

Las Vegas Police Release Booking Photo of Joe Biden's Nonbinary Former Nuclear Waste Official Sam Brinton | The Gateway Pundit | by Jim Hoft

Sam Brinton Las Vegas Police released the booking photo of Joe Biden’s former nuclear waste chief Sam Brinton.

www.thegatewaypundit.com

That's scary.

 

[gamzultovah]

The read about this the other day and immediately sent the article to many of my friends. Very exciting news.

 

[vates]

Exceeding parity is just the next step on a long road to fusion power plants.

It’ll be decades before the yield is sufficiently great that a full engineering plant will be practical. Hard to do things take time.

Meanwhile we’re finally inching closer to get to build a test version of a 4th gen fission plant design next year. We’re long overdue to evolve from pressurized boiling water designs.

In fact, exeeding parity was not achieved this time. Yes, they state that they used 2.04 megajoules and received 3.13 megajoules (152%+!). But in fact it's only the energy of laser rays which's been calculated. Lasers have their own energy conversion efficiency (ECE), then transformers, additional systems etc. It all sums up to about 400 megajoules being used. Which gives us around 0.75% efficiency.

But it's a breakthrough anyway: they've got the energy in the end of the day. POC. However, it's only heat so it's a long way till it's going to be turned into useful electricity (and there will be another ECE barrier).

So we're like 1/400 till the expected target and probably a few decades away. But we're slowly moving in the right direction.

 

[Streeper541]

I think I threw up in my mouth a little scrolling through the past few posts on this thread.

I am however very excited about the developments in fusion energy! I'm one step closer to retrofitting my DeLorean!

Now I just need a DeLorean.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Now I just need a DeLorean.

I had a cousin who had a DeLorean, but he only ever drove it from time to time.

 

[Hillcrest]

I thought we did all this mumbo-jumbo in the late 90's ?! :



Also, if we have zero emissions energy what will the plants eat ?

 

[Briar Lee]

You must be concerned that the current "nuclear waste chief" was just fired after being arrested for stealing luggage at airports.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fj0tC1pVIAEm2dZ?format=jpg&name=small

In the same papers as the binary fluid Sam Britton getting their ass fired as Deputy Director of Nuclear Waste Disposal despite them having not one, but two nuclear science degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was this item about how Russia gets semiconductors from a novelty light Etsy seller in New Hampshire:

—-

CONCORD, N.H. —
A Merrimack man is facing federal charges after he was accused of being part of a Russian smuggling ring.

At a hearing Tuesday in federal court in Concord, Alexey Brayman had bail set at a $150,000 unsecured bond. He is also subject to a curfew and electronic monitoring.

Brayman did not return to his Merrimack home.

An indictment accuses Brayman, along with a New Jersey resident and five Russian nationals, of orchestrating a ring to smuggle items to Russia that were then used to create weapons.

The indictment says Brayman's Merrimack home was frequently used as a transshipment point for items that were unlawfully exported to Russia. It goes on to say that the group supplied materials to two Russian companies described by federal officials as being instrumental to Russia's war against Ukraine.

Neighbors said the Brayman family has lived at their Ellie Drive home for a few years. They said they often saw packages coming and going from the house, but they never questioned it because Brayman and his wife run their own lighting company online.

—-

Part of what he was busted over was a box of 5,000 Hornady 6.5 mm bullets.

Hornady InterLock Bullets 264 Cal 6.5mm (264 Diameter) 129 Grain Spire

The InterLock is designed to be a devastating hunting bullet and nothing less. The InterLock Ring - a Hornady exclusive - ensures that the core and...

www.midwayusa.com

The Russian government can’t supply their own semiconductors or even bullets for sniper rifles to their military.

When the USA can fire a nuclear nerd with two MIT degrees and hire ten more tomorrow to take their place, maybe ones that aren’t cross dressers, or at least ones that buy and don’t steal their clothes.

The world sort of makes fun of Americans, but we developed the atom bomb, the fusion bomb, and sent a dozen men to to walk on the moon, using slide rules,


You have to get up awfully early in the morning to get ahead of America.

 

[aspiring_sage]

Next time I'll just keep my trap shut, rather than share with the circle, esp.

Don't let it get you down. Some of us enjoy a little hearsay.

 

[aspiring_sage]

The read about this the other day and immediately sent the article to many of my friends. Very exciting news.

You talking about the fusion or the nuclear waste chief?